Last June, the European Commission published the Commission implementing regulations 2022-996. This document brought new technical references to the RED II, directly impacting the sustainability certification process within the fuel market.
Regarding the new directives, last August, 2BS submitted to the European Commission an updated documentation. Following the Implementing Regulations, we proposed a revision of our Standards 01 and 02 and Procedures (PRO 01,02,03,04,05,06).
This documentation is currently being studied by the European Commission and is not yet approved for all industries:
- For the biogas and biomethane industries and their supply chain, the standards submitted last August are valid and applicable to audits from January 2023.
- The documents submitted last August are not yet applicable to the other industries (biofuel, bioliquids) and their supply chain. The documents and the changes to the certification process are being shared for awareness at this stage.
Points of change on the certification process for each player (not yet applicable to all industries):
- Responsibility of Certification Bodies, with impact on the audit / certification process of Economic Operators:
- audit report (content requirement, availability to the voluntary scheme, use of the classification foreseen by the
- European Commission in connection with the certificate and the Union Database)
- status of the certificates (precision on the status, time limits for updating, rules for publication on the website)
- classification of non-conformities and impact on group audits
- aggregated list of major non-conformities and action plans published on the website
- audit plan (more structured process with pre-audit reviews)
- reminder of the group audit rules, especially when a group element is non-compliant
2. Different approaches to auditing waste & residue collection points depending on the industry (biofuel / biogas):
Biofuel sector
- additional follow-up audit 6 months after the initial audit (verification that the mass balance is correct)
- additional follow-up audit 3 months after the initial audit (verification that the mass balance is correct) when a First Gathering Point (cooperative or trader) collects virgin oil and used cooking oil
- 5 tons = on-site audit of the square root of the points of origin providing waste and residues listed in Annex IX of the EU Directive 2018/2001 – parts A and B
Biogas sector
- No on-site audit of points of origin
- No additional follow-up audits
- Audit of intermediate collection sites and mass balances are not required
3. Greenhouse Gas emissions calculation
Eec calculation
- Adoption of new standard values and emission factors
- Update of the N2O emissions calculation
- Considering transport emissions (fields, storage) in the Eec brick
Esca calculation
- Submission of a new methodological approach in progress
The final validation of the updated Standards and Procedures is still pending from the European Commission. The text is indicative of biofuel and bioliquids and will be fully implemented at the deadlines foreseen in the text. Once the documents are validated by the European Commission, events will be organized to better explain these new directives.
The Standards and Procedures are already applicable to the biogas / biomethane sector.
You can find the documentation on the 2BS Documents page.